


Such Great Heights

by teen_content_queen



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M, andrew's pov, fake rivalry, it's all fun and games until Andrew has to fly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26032822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teen_content_queen/pseuds/teen_content_queen
Summary: Everyone thinks Andrew and Neil hate each other. And Andrew's fine with that...until they have to fly and Andrew's fear of heights rears its ugly head.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 8
Kudos: 305





	Such Great Heights

“I hate him.” Andrew said, ignoring whatever the ESPN reporters said next as he let the rest of his teammates continue the interview. They’d gotten the soundbite they wanted. And it wasn’t a lie. He did hate Neil Josten. Everyone knew it. The Minyard-Josten rivalry had been going on for over a year now, since Neil graduated and started playing Exy professionally. 

They were here today because Andrew had transferred, and the whole sports world wanted to know what Andrew and Neil would do now that they were going to be playing on the same team. In the back of the room, Andrew caught Neil’s eye and the quirk of his eyebrow. Idiot. 

As soon as the press conference was over, Andrew was out the door, heading out to the private parking lot behind the stadium. It had been important to his new coach that her players be able to come and go from practice without a million paparazzi photographers hounding them as soon as they’d stepped off the court, and because of that, she’d ensured that they had built up high hedging around the lot, cutting it off from the rest of the world. 

As Andrew exited the stadium, he saw Neil resting on the hood of the Maserati, waiting for him with arms crossed, bag at his feet. He didn’t say anything but slid into the space between Neil’s legs, kissing him roughly before pulling away and moving around to the passenger side. Neil took out his own set of keys and plopped himself behind the wheel of the car, pulling out of the lot just as their teammates started exiting the building, completely unaware.

Their coach knew of course, because she had their official medical files and their shared last name of Minyard-Josten didn’t leave much to the imagination in terms of their relationship status. The rings they wore on chains beneath their jerseys were barely noticeable, and even when they were, no one connected Andrew’s dark black band to Neil’s pale silver. 

For Andrew, it wasn’t about hiding his relationship with Neil but protecting their privacy. No one knew about them because no one had bothered to ask. They let the stories about their rivalry circulate because it was easier than trying to explain to mere plebians the intricacies and depths of his feelings for his blue eyed junkie. 

Andrew watched him now, eyes focused on the road, but one hand in Andrew’s lap, fingers intertwined. He looked at peace in a way Andrew had only begun to recognize as content. Before they’d managed to work their way onto the same team, Neil always had a flightiness about him when he and Andrew would visit, his brain unable to relax enough to stop counting down the hours until they’d be separated again. Now, sharing an apartment downtown with a balcony for smoking and room for the cats, Neil had finally begun to settle in. Without looking from the road, he smirked,

“Staring.”

Andrew just grunted but didn’t look away. Instead, he lifted Neil’s hand to his lips for a kiss. Neil hummed beside him and Andrew felt a flutter in his chest take form in something that felt a lot like happiness.

Four months later, and hours before their first away game, Neil and Andrew pulled up to the airport. The knot in Andrew’s stomach that he’d been ignoring all morning grew heavy with anticipation. After so many away games and trips to visit Neil, flying had become easier for him most days. But just because something was manageable did not make it pleasant. 

Andrew put the car into park and avoided Neil’s questioning look as he moved around the back of the car to grab their bags. Neil took his from Andrew and they ventured inside, side by side, hands almost brushing but not quite. 

They were two of the last to join the team, already spread out around the small hanger. A few of their teammates noticed their synchronized arrival but didn’t say anything. Neil peeled off to talk to Coach about stats or something else painfully boring while Andrew walked past his teammates and right to the edge of the small room, staring out at the team’s plane. 

A bonus of playing professional Exy was the private airlines that whisked them around the country. On the smaller aircrafts, Andrew could sit in the back and see everyone at once, and not have to be stuffed in like a sardine with some middle aged man next to him brushing up against his arm every time he shifted. 

He watched the small crew preparing the flight for take off, tracking their movements in order to stave off the choking feeling of his fears bubbling below his expressionless surface. Neil wandered by a few times, offering water and snacks and sometimes just standing with him for a few moments before entering back into the fray of activity as the team rallied. 

They made their way onto the plane in unified precision. Andrew took his spot at the back, headphones already on in an effort to encourage his teammates to go elsewhere. Neil for his part, hovered only long enough to see Andrew shake his head before he sat down with one of the other strikers. Andrew did not need a babysitter, and Neil would have a much better time if he could spend the four hour flight talking about the game instead of sitting in silence with Andrew. 

Andrew had gone completely still throughout takeoff, knuckles white as he clutched them together, eyes fixed on the space ahead until they’d reached cruising altitude. Andrew’s teammates started to get up and move around the small cabin to grab forgotten snacks, laptops and blankets from their bags and Andrew deftly moved around them until he reached the red-head’s seat. Neil was sitting in the aisle seat and had his back to Andrew, meaning the other striker was the first one to see him approach. His eyes went wide as Andrew stared down at him. Neil must have noticed and shifted so he could turn. When his eyes met Andrew’s, they softened. 

“You’re in my seat.” Andrew said, looking away from Neil and at the other striker. 

The guy looked confused for a moment but clearly didn’t want to argue about it and quickly got up. Neil folded himself into a pretzel to let him through and Andrew stepped out of the way so he could make his way down the aisle towards Andrew’s abandoned seat in the back. Neil smiled up at Andrew, who scoffed but moved past him, taking the seat by the window. 

He could feel Neil’s eyes on him but he didn’t say anything, waiting for Andrew to explain if he felt like it. Andrew instead reached a hand across the arm rest and took Neil’s in his own. Neil gave it a reassuring squeeze. A few of their teammates had noticed the switch and were openly gawking at Neil and Andrew. 

If Neil noticed though, he didn’t let on. Instead, he was quietly talking about the game, and about the cats’ recent haircuts and about how Andrew had a dentist appointment coming up so he should probably start flossing, and soon the anxious, gnawing thing in the pit of Andrew’s stomach subsided. 

They won their game, and Coach asked Andrew to do the post-game interview with their team captain. After a lot of sighs, grunting and shrugs, they were nearing the end of questions when one reporter noted that Andrew and Neil could be heard yelling to each other in German on the court. 

“Is it safe to assume you and Neil are getting along?”

Andrew opened his mouth but his captain leaned into the mic. 

“Do you speak German?”

The reporter looked at her, a little confused. It wasn’t usual for these things to turn into a back and forth discussion. He shook his head.

“I do. And let me tell you, those two were not saying nice things to each other.”

Andrew kept his face impassive. His perfect recall allowed him the small comfort of knowing that while he and Neil hadn’t said anything nice to each other, they hadn’t said anything explicit either.

“Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten hate one another. That’s what makes them great teammates. It doesn’t make sense to the rest of us, but clearly it works for them. We’re a stronger team for having them both. Anyway, that’s all we have time for. Thanks everyone.”

She stood up and strode out, Andrew right behind. On a dime, she turned and gave him a once over. 

“I don’t really speak German but there are certain things that they don’t need to know.”

With that, she disappeared into the women’s locker room.

On the flight home, no one looked twice when Neil sat in the back row with Andrew, and if they noticed their hands intertwined, they made sure to keep it to themselves. 

**Author's Note:**

> Are there other things I should be working on? Yes. Has this visual been plaguing me for days? Also yes.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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